Totally extraperitoneal endoscopic inguinal hernia repair using an unfixed mesh without a dissection balloon : a report of 41 cases WENG Shan-geng , LIU Zhao-qi , LIN Chun-zhong ,et al. Department of Minimally invasive surgery , the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350000, China Corrsponding author：WENG Shan-geng , E-mail：shangeng@sina.com Abstract Objective To investigate the effect and the feasibility of totally extraperitoneal (TEP) endoscopic inguinal hernia repair using an unfixed mesh without a dissection balloon. Methods A total of 41 cases of reducible inguinal hernia underwent TEP dissected with the endoscope instead of a dissection balloon using a BARD 3D mesh without fixation from August 2006 to August 2008. Results The operation was successfully accomplished under the endoscopy in all the 41 cases. The operation time was 28-120 min ( 46±23.6 )min. After the operation, seroma occurred in 3 cases, and no other complications were found. The patients were followed up for 3-24 months, and no recurrence occurred. Conclusion It is feasible and safe to use an unfixed mesh in the TEP endoscopic inguinal hernia repair with few complications,soon recovery and confirmed efficacy without a dissection balloon.